


Five Steps Backwards Into Love

by megastarstrike



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - College/University, Domestic Fluff, M/M, written for the saiouma exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2019-03-21 17:30:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13745847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megastarstrike/pseuds/megastarstrike
Summary: Shuuichi's descent into loving this prick happened in five steps.





	Five Steps Backwards Into Love

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for recipient #33 for the saiouma exchange, but I figured more people would enjoy it here so

**1.**

Shuuichi knew he didn’t have the best balance, even at the best of times. He could recall one instance when he had tripped over thin air and spilled his textbooks over the floor, the thump of the books landing on the ground echoing in the hallway as everyone turned to stare at him. Luckily, one of the clumsier upperclassmen (a girl with long, choppy purple hair, if he recalled correctly) screamed and tripped over something as well, diverting attention away from him.

But that upperclassman wasn’t with him in his sophomore year of college, and now the cutest boy he had ever seen was on top of him.

The boy blinked a few times before he frowned. “Jeez, do people watch where they’re going these days? It’s like they’re not even trying.”

Shuuichi knew for a fact that it was the boy who had crashed into him, but he apologized anyway. “S-Sorry about that. Can… Can you get off me?”

“Oh, sure!” The boy rolled off and stood up. He pointed at a door a few feet away from them. “Are you moving into that dorm?”

“Yes, room 233,” Shuuichi said, dusting himself off as he regained his footing.

“That’s so cool! Looks like you’re my roommate then!”

Shit.

The boy pouted. “You look scared. What, do you not want me as a roommate? Am I not good enough for you? You’re so mean!” Tears spilled out of his eyes as he wailed.

Guilt caught him by the throat. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“That was a lie.” The tears stopped as soon as they came. “I’m a liar, after all.”

Judging by the ache starting to pound in his head, it was going to be a great year.

“I’m Kokichi Ouma, bowling industry major,” the boy said, grinning and holding a hand out.

Shuuichi took the hand and shook it, his heart skipping a beat at the contact. “I’m Shuuichi Saihara, criminology major.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Shuuichi. Also, I lied about my major. I hate bowling.”

“Then… what’s your real major?”

“Political science. I’m taking a theater minor, too.”

“You’re not lying about that, right?”

“Nishishi! We’ll just have to see!” Kokichi reached up and tapped Shuuichi’s lips with a gentle finger. “Well, I’ve gotta get my stuff from downstairs. Have fun with your mess.”

A new, louder voice interrupted them before Shuuichi could say anything. “Cuckichi, you shitty brat! What the hell did you do to my gorgeous hair?”

Kokichi broke into a run and escaped down the stairs.

A girl in a pink uniform flew past him, stopping at the staircase to rearrange her poorly-dyed gray hair. A few blonde streaks showed through (Maybe her original hair color was blonde?). She took a deep breath before running down the stairs.

Shuuichi stared after them for a moment before picking his boxes up again. His fingers strayed up to his lips, where Kokichi had tapped them with his finger. Did that count as a kiss? What would have been like to kiss his finger? What about his hand? What about—

Shuuichi coughed and pushed the door to his dorm open, hiding his blush behind the pile of boxes.  _ Shut up, Shuuichi, you just met the guy. Don’t scare him off. _

So Shuuichi walked into his new dorm, set his boxes on the bed he claimed as his own, and screamed.

 

**2.**

Kokichi wasn’t lying about being his roommate, as he learned one month in when Kokichi had invited half the dorm over to their room for a game of Fibbage. Sixteen people were crammed in front of their tiny television set, holding their phones in front of them as they watched the screen dutifully for the next prompt.

Shuuichi was ashamed to admit he was one of those sixteen people.

Shuuichi sat on the couch in between Kokichi and Kaito, the astronomy major next door. He sighed when Kokichi made another jab at Kaito’s score in the game and Kaito threatened him with a clenched fist. “Can you two stop? The next prompt is up.”

“The most popular item at Walmart is blank,” the narrator announced, earning everyone’s attention.

The group sat in silence as everyone inputted their answers. After a few minutes, their answer choices along with a true choice was shown on the screen. They roared with laughter at the answers.

“Who the fuck put up whipped cream and strawberries?” Miu cackled, holding her stomach.

“I’m willing to bet it was a slut like you,” Kokichi said. His grin grew wider as Miu sputtered to defend her choices, incriminating herself in the process.

Rantarou tapped on his phone screen. “I’m putting my bets on the most popular item being apples. It makes the most sense.”

A few other people murmured in agreement, tapping on the answer choice as well.

The group waited with bated breath as the results rolled in. Almost everybody had voted for “apples” as the true answer.

It was a lie.

“Fuck! You god damn shitty ass brat!” Miu cried as Kokichi rolled on the floor in hysterical laughter. “I want my fucking time back!”

Kaito joined in with an “Are you fucking kidding me?”, and other people followed suit as well.

Kokichi’s fit of laughter continued even as he planted his head on Shuuichi’s lap. “Nishishi! What were you thinking, playing Fibbage with a liar? You only have yourselves to blame.” He looked up at Shuuichi with wide, shining eyes. “Isn’t that right, my beloved Shuuichi?”

Shuuichi’s heart pounded, and he could feel his face growing hot. Despite all common sense screaming at him not to, his eyes drifted down to Kokichi’s lips. How would it feel to take Kokichi by surprise for once? How would it feel to kiss the smirk off his face?

_ No! Stop thinking that!  _ Shuuichi struggled to sputter out his thoughts before his mind short-circuited, and he pushed Kokichi off his lap without thinking.

Kokichi landed on the floor with a thud. He looked back up at Shuuichi with tearful eyes as the people around them laughed. “Shuuichi! How could you do this to me? That really hurt, you know!” He rubbed the side of his head for dramatic effect.

Panic and guilt seized Shuuichi’s chest. He clasped his hands together and bowed his head. “I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to push you off like that! You just took me by surprise. Are you hurt?”

“Easy solution,” Miu said, pointing a finger up. “Just fuck the pain outta him.”

Kokichi responded by picking a book off the coffee table and throwing it at her. He turned back to Shuuichi with a pout. “Of course, I’m hurt! You pushed me!”

“I really am sorry about that,” Shuuichi said, “Please forgive me.”

“It was the highest form of treason! I can never forgive you!” Kokichi looked up in thought and tapped his chin. “But I  _ guess  _ I can forgive you if you kiss it better.”

“W-What?”

“Hey, stop messing with Shuuichi’s feelings,” Kaede said from the other side of the room, crossing her arms. 

But Shuuichi had already grabbed Kokichi’s head and planted a kiss into his hair before hiding his reddening face in his hands.

Kokichi froze, a blush rising to his cheeks. He covered up his embarrassment with a pout. “Eww! Shuuichi got his spit in my hair!”

“What did you expect?” Kaito scolded, leaning over the coffee table to glare at him.

The group eventually moved onto a different conversation topic and decided to take a break from Fibbage, instead opting to play a card game.

Even as Shuuichi laughed at the misfortunes of someone needing to draw twenty cards in one turn, he couldn’t help but bring his fingers up to his lips and smile.

 

**3.**

As time passed and the day of the play approached, Kokichi grew more and more frantic. The papers on his desk multiplied as he made increasingly desperate attempts to imprint his lines into his head. Shuuichi couldn’t remember the last time the lamp on Kokichi’s desk had been turned off.

Shuuichi sighed and sat up in his bed. “Kokichi, it’s midnight. You have class tomorrow. Go to sleep.”

Kokichi didn’t seem to notice, his mumbling continuing. His figure was hunched over his desk, and it didn’t seem like he had any intention to move anytime soon.

“Kokichi, I’m serious.”

Again, the figure stayed hunched over the desk. His hands moved up to his face, his body shaking.

Was… Was he crying?

Shuuichi’s voice fell to a whisper. “Kokichi?”

Somehow, Kokichi had managed to hear his whisper above his sobs and turned to him with a strained grin. “What’s up, Shuuichi? Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

“You’re the one with the morning class,” Shuuichi said, climbing out of bed and taking a seat next to him. Now that he had a closer look, he could see wet trails shining on Kokichi’s face under the bright light of the lamp. “Are you still practicing your lines?”

“Yup! The play’s in two days, and I have a major role. I gotta practice for that, you know?”

“Are you just afraid you’ll mess up your lines?”

“Of course not! I already know all of my lines.”

“That’s a lie, and you know it.” Shuuichi paused. “Well, not the part about knowing all your lines. I know you know them. Do you want me to help you practice?”

Kokichi hesitated before handing him the script. “I’m playing King Aaron. This is the scene with Hayden pledging his loyalty to the king, so you’ll play him. Don’t screw up.”

Shuuichi nodded and looked down at the page, reading over the lines. “Your Majesty, has my time come yet?”

Kokichi sat up in his seat and turned to him with a stern face Shuuichi had never seen before. “Do not be hasty, Sir Hayden. Being hasty is for the peasants and the traitors, the weak and the unworthy. You, Sir, are deemed worthy of my time. Do not make me change my mind.”

“O-Of course,” Shuuichi said, his skin prickling at the intensity behind the words.

“But yes, your time has come. But first, you must pledge your loyalty. I trust that you have studied that beforehand, yes?”

“For years.” Shuuichi sank to one knee and held a hand over his heart like the script described. “I, Sir Hayden, pledge my utmost loyalty to the kingdom, the royal family, and His Majesty. I will do everything in my power to protect the king and the kingdom for as long as I shall live.”

“Then you and the kingdom are now bound.”

Shuuichi took Kokichi’s hand and pressed his lips against the back of it. “I-It truly is an honor, Your Majesty.”

Kokichi stared at him for a few moments before grinning and snatching the script away. “Okay, that’s enough for tonight! I feel ready now!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yup! Shuuichi’s lips are sooo much softer than the actor’s lips,” Kokichi whined. “Why can’t you be Hayden instead?”

“M-Me?”

“But you’re not a good liar, so you’re stuck just watching us for now.” Kokichi smiled. “Don’t worry, Shuuichi, I’ll teach you all the ins and outs of lying. You’ll be a pro in no time!”

Shuuichi sighed, the 3 AM fatigue weighing down on him. “Anyway, your show is in two days, right? You should get some sleep.”

“That depends. Are you coming to my show? It’s my debut play, you know.”

“Of course.” Shuuichi internally screamed as he remembered the stack of work awaiting him, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care, especially when Kokichi beamed at him with a smile so bright it set his heart ablaze.

 

**4.**

The day Kokichi returned to their dorm with a cake mix and a bunch of baking supplies, Shuuichi knew his day would simultaneously get better and worse.

“Hey, Shuuichi, look what I bought!” Kokichi sang, skipping into their kitchen with a bunch of plastic bags in tow.

Shuuichi paled at the cluster of bags on their counter. “Kokichi, how much money did you spend on that?”

“Not too much. I bought it all on sale.” Kokichi held up the box containing a chocolate cake mix. The flavor was written on the top half of the red box in cursive yellow letters while the bottom half was reserved for a picture of a perfect cake that theirs certainly wouldn’t come out as. “That was a lie. The culinary major in the senior dorms had a surplus and was selling all of them for cheap. You’ll be helping me make this.”

“What? I’m sorry but I can’t. I have too much work—“

“No, you don’t.” The stiff tone of his voice told Shuuichi he didn’t have a choice.

So Shuuichi sighed and stood up from his desk, biting back a smile as Kokichi cheered. He really was too weak for him. “Fine. What’s the first step?”

“Preheat the oven to three-hundred-fifty degrees for me.”

Shuuichi pressed a few buttons on the oven and hit enter, starting the preheating. “What next?”

Half an hour later, the kitchen was covered wall-to-wall with flour and sugar from Kokichi’s attempts to “make it interesting” and Shuuichi’s frantic attempts to stop him. The carton of milk and dozen of eggs were forgotten in one of the plastic bags. The box with the original cake mix had gone missing long ago, but neither of them could care less.

Sometime around the twenty-minute mark, Kokichi had gotten bored and started slinging flour at him for reasons Shuuichi was still unsure of. Now, their clothes were covered with flour and sugar, and they both laughed at their half-hearted attempts to clean themselves. Their cake had somehow made it to the oven in one piece.

“Hey, Shuuichi,” Kokichi called. He held up a pinch of sugar. “I think you’re  _ sweet _ .”

Shuuichi’s heart fluttered as Kokichi laughed at his own joke. “Hold on, there’s some sugar on your nose. Here, I’ll get it off for you.”

Kokichi stepped away from Shuuichi’s raised hand and leaned forward. “You know what would be a better idea? If you licked it off.”

“W-What?”

“It’s sugar, right? It would be sad to just let it go to waste in a trash can, especially with how expensive it was.”

Shuuichi saw the price tag of ten cents on the receipt stuffed in the bag and knew he was lying but couldn’t bring himself to care. He held a hand to the side of Kokichi’s head and leaned in. His lips brushed against the tip of Kokichi’s nose before he backed away.

Kokichi’s face lit up red, but he covered his embarrassment with a pout. “You didn’t even get all the sugar off, Shuuichi! That was useless.”

“Ha, sorry.”

“Don’t lie to my face like that. I’m the liar in this dorm.”

“You sure are.” Shuuichi ripped a sheet off a roll of paper towels and wet it under the sink faucet. “Come here, let me actually get the sugar off your face this time.”

Kokichi smiled as Shuuichi rubbed the towel against him, cleaning the sugar off him. Shuuichi dreaded the cleanup that would inevitably take more than just a few hours but for now, he would savor Kokichi’s bright smile and laughter.

 

**5.**

_ I need to say something about his sleeping habits,  _ Shuuichi decided after waking up for the fifth day in a row from the soft music playing in the living room. The genre changed every day, the first night starting with a metal album one of the seniors had given them and the fourth night with a CD of Romantic-era classical music. Tonight’s music was some kind of generic pop song about love that Shuuichi felt he could recognize if he tried but didn’t care enough to. Shuuichi stepped into the living room, rubbing his eyes. He dropped his hands to his sides. His jaw almost dropped with them at the scene in front of him.

The room was dimmed but not quite dark, a single lamp lit in the corner. Kokichi was dressed in a white t-shirt and long, loose purple pants. His fluffy white socks slid across the floor as he danced. The movements themselves weren’t special, but the person making them certainly was. Finally, he turned to Shuuichi with a bright smile. “Good morning, Shuuichi. Dance with me.”

Shuuichi’s mouth opened to reject the offer in fear of embarrassing himself, but his legs moved on their own. His heart rate sped up when Kokichi locked their fingers together and leaned closer to him. A blush rose to his cheeks upon meeting eyes with the dork he had grown to love.

“Do you like this song?” Kokichi asked as they stepped in time with the music. “Because I sure don’t. I hate it.”

Shuuichi smiled. “Another lie, right? You wouldn’t be dancing to it otherwise.”

“Hm, I don’t know. Would I or would I not? It’s your job to find out.”

_ My dream job,  _ Shuuichi thought before he could stop himself. He hoped Kokichi couldn’t see his face reddening in the dim light, but the smirk on Kokichi’s face told him his hopes were in vain.

They continued to dance until the song faded out. Silence enveloped the room. Kokichi was positioned directly in front of Shuuichi, his chin only a few centimeters away from Shuuichi’s chest. He stared up at him with a sweet smile and half-lidded eyes filled with so much love and affection it made Shuuichi’s heart hurt.

Shuuichi stared into his eyes for a few more seconds before leaning in, locking their lips together. It was a chaste kiss, long enough to satisfy his desire for a few seconds and short enough to not overwhelm either of them. His senses returned after he pulled away. “I-I’m so sorry! I should have asked beforehand or—”

“Relax, it’s fine,” Kokichi said, “Why do you think I’ve been blasting music in the living room for the past week?”

“You… You planned this, didn’t you?”

“Yup! My beloved Shuuichi caught me again!” Kokichi’s voice dropped to a whisper as if he couldn’t believe what was happening. “My beloved Shuuichi. My beloved…” He rested his head on Shuuichi’s chest as the next song started to play.

“Hey, Kokichi.”

“Yeah?”

“Will you be my boyfriend?”

“Is that even a question? Of course.”

Shuuichi’s heart jumped at the answer, and he couldn’t have been happier.

 

**+1**

“Of all the people you could have consulted, you chose  _ us _ ?” Rantarou asked.

“In hindsight, that may have been a bad idea,” Shuuichi said as he watched Miu scroll through a shopping page for vibrators with a stone cold face that revealed nothing. “But you two are Kokichi’s best friends, right?”

Miu rolled her eyes. “Why would you come to us for that brat? Aren’t you supposed to be his boyfriend?”

“Yes, it’s been three months, but that’s exactly the problem.”

“Spit it the fuck out then.”

“It’s… It’s been three months, but he hasn’t kissed me yet,” Shuuichi blurted, his face burning red. He buried his face in his hands and groaned when raucous laughter filled the air. 

“Kyahaha! You’re even more of a virgin than I thought!” 

“Please, I’m being serious.”

Rantarou answered once he recovered from his laughter. “You know, Shuuichi, I’ve known Kokichi since middle school, and he’s a bit shy too, believe it or not. He just really likes you.”

“I know,” Shuuichi mumbled, tipping his cap over his face. “It’s just… I would really like the confirmation sometimes. I’m always the one initiating the kisses. Although he does hug me…”

“Must be hell having a boyfriend that hugs you. Wow. Such torture,” Miu snickered, clapping him on the shoulder.

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate the hugs, I love them. I would just like him to initiate the…” He sighed at Miu’s laughter. “... kisses for once.”

Rantarou blinked slowly and tilted his head with a tight smile. “Hey, Shuuichi… Did you ever, you know,  _ tell Kokichi _ any of this?”

“Uh…”

Miu’s laughter only grew louder as time passed without him saying anything. “Holy shit, I can’t fucking believe this shitty virgin”—she paused to wipe the tears from her eyes—”This is the best day of my fucking life!”

“I-I should probably talk to him about that, shouldn’t I?” Shuuichi said, chuckling nervously.

Rantarou sighed. “Really? You come to us before you even talk to him? Well, I guess it doesn’t matter now. You promise to at least talk to him?”

“Yeah. Sorry about the trouble.”

“No worries, it was fucking hilarious,” Miu said, a wide smile still on her face. “You wanna get out of my dorm now? Cuntarou and I still have shit to do.”

“Ah, right, excuse me. Thank you for your… advice,” Shuuichi said before walking out of the room as Rantarou saluted him and Miu flipped a middle finger at him. He took a deep breath and scrunched his eyes shut, the steps back to his dorm smaller than his usual stride.

What would Kokichi think about his problem? Was it even a problem? As far as Shuuichi knew, both of them only had either fleeting relationships or hadn’t been in a relationship at all. Maybe he was moving too fast. Or maybe he was too needy? The thoughts piled up until Shuuichi felt like he couldn’t breathe. The waves of doubt washed over him like a tidal wave and  _ oh god, what if Kokichi hated him after— _

“Hey, Shuuichi!”

Shuuichi stopped, his thoughts pushed away by the familiar voice. He turned with a smile. “Oh, hey, Kokichi. Were you about to head to our dorm, too?”

“Yeah, but you clearly weren’t,” Kokichi snickered, “The door handle you’re grabbing is Kaede and Maki’s room.”

“... Oh.”

“Wait, did you memorize the route to Kaede and Maki’s dorms but not ours?” Kokichi grabbed at his chest with a dramatic gasp, tears welling in his eyes. “Are you  _ cheating  _ on me? How could you, Shuuichi? Right after you kissed me five times, too! How dishonorable!”

“Actually, Kokichi,” Shuuichi started. He almost froze again at the way Kokichi’s head tilted curiously. “C-Can we talk about that five times thing?”

Kokichi glanced around the hall before grabbing his hand and leading him back to their dorm. “Not in the hallway. No one likes seeing couple drama.”

“I promise it’s not drama, it’s just… a concern I’ve had for some time now.” Shuuichi shut the door behind them and gestured for Kokichi to sit next to him on their living room couch. “So…”

“I’m busy, Shuuichi,” Kokichi said, even though Shuuichi knew he had completed all his due assignments and didn’t have classes tomorrow. “Spit it out or I might just lose interest.”

“I’ve kissed you five times, but you haven’t kissed me once,” Shuuichi blurted. Embarrassment hit him right after the words left his mouth. He covered his reddening face with his hands. “Ugh, I’m sorry, I just—”

“Hey, Shuuichi, look at me.” A warm grip was around both of Shuuichi’s wrists.

Shuuichi hesitated but allowed Kokichi to pry his hands away, only to stare into wide, purple eyes that were  _ too close _ —

“What? Didn’t you want me to kiss you?” Kokichi said, his voice lilting up into a teasing tone. He leaned back. “And that’s exactly the reason I didn’t.”

It took a moment for Shuuichi to process what he had just said. “B-Because you were worried about my reaction? Not because you don’t love me?”

Kokichi clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. “Jeez, where did you get  _ that  _ idea? I wouldn’t be dating you if I didn’t like you.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” Shuuichi looked away, anywhere other than his face, twiddling his fingers. “S-So does that mean you wouldn’t be opposed to kissing me?”

“Of course not! I’ve been wanting to do it for a while now.” Kokichi grinned and put a hand on Shuuichi’s cheek. “Are you ready to kiss me? You might just faint if you haven’t prepared enough.”

Shuuichi nodded, holding the hand on his cheek. 

Kokichi stared into his eyes, his grin slowly fading. “Are you sure?”

“Kokichi… are you nervous?”

“No way! Supreme leaders like me never get nervous!”

It was Shuuichi’s turn to have a smirk on his face. “Then prove it.”

“Fine!” Kokichi leaned in and planted a short kiss on Shuuichi’s lips before jumping to the other end of the couch, his face red. “Was that enough?”

Shuuichi held a finger to his tingling lips before smiling and holding his arms out. “You’ll always be enough for me, Kokichi.”

“Jeez, you’re such a sap,” Kokichi huffed despite moving into Shuuichi’s arms. He nuzzled his head into his chest. “But for you to ask me that… I must have really stolen your heart, huh?”

“I have to admit you did, but…” Shuuichi traced the outline of Kokichi’s heart on his chest. “I stole yours too, right?”

Kokichi smiled and moved to hide his face. “It’s not stealing if you aren’t a criminal.”

“That’s not how it works.”

“What do you know, STEM major?”

“More than you, social science major.”

Kokichi giggled and pecked him on the cheek. “I love you, Shuuichi.”

Shuuichi’s heart soared. He couldn’t help the smile coming to his face. “I love you too, Kokichi.”

“Would you still love me if I said you have a class right now?”

“You’re ly—” Shuuichi cut himself off, and his eyes went wide. “Shit. You’re not lying.”

“You wanna get up then?”

Shuuichi took a few seconds to stare into the face of his lover and sighed, his body relaxing. “I can get someone to send me the notes. You don’t mind staying here with me, right?”

“Yay! I get to stay with my beloved Shuuichi!” Kokichi wrapped his arms around Shuuichi’s shoulders with a grin and rambled about his last lesson.

Shuuichi nodded along, listening to every word and taking note of the way Kokichi’s eyes sparkled and his smile grew warmer. 

Even if their dorm was a temporary house, his home was always by Kokichi’s side.


End file.
